Illuminated license plate and case therefor



June 11, 1940. A. H. HOOVER ET AL ILLUMINATED L ICENSE PQATBAND CASE THEREFOR Filed April 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS ATTORN EY June 11, 1940. HQQVER AL 2,203,785

' ILLUMINATED LICENSE PLATE AND CASE THEREFOR Filed April 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented June 11, 1940 ILLUMINATED LICENSE PLATE AND CASE THEREFOR 1 Albert H. Hoover and Herbert D. Clark, Oil City, Pa.

Application April 12, 1938, Serial No. 201,521

. p 5 Claims. 1 This invention relates in general to a new organization for displaying information by means of illuminated words, figures, or other suitable indicia.

The particular embodiment here shown and described relates to an illuminated license-plate for automotive vehicles and in which the figures on other characters carried by the plate are formed by perforationsthrough the plate, said 1 plate being mounted in or forming one wall of a suitable casing in which ismounted an electric lamp of elongated tubular form and arranged in such position relatively to said plate, or the perforationsthereon, thatonly indirect, reflected, 16 evenly-distributed rays are cast upon the plate, thus imparting to the characters or letters a clear and uniform visibility.

The construction of our improved illuminated license plate is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front View, with the upper half of thecasing shown in vertical, longitudinal section so as to clearly illustrate the lamp, its form and position within the casing.

25. Fig. 2 is a front orface elevation of the case and the perforated plate carried thereby.

.Fig. 3 is an end View of the case.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the case on line IV-I V of Fig. 3. i 30:. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section on line V-V of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the central portion of the rear walls of the case at any point intermediate the top and bottom 5 thereof.

' Fig. 7 is an edge View of one of a pair of bindingmembers employed for holding the elements of the casing in assembled relation.

The construction shown in said drawings is ing is bent outwardly into the form of a flange, a-

portion of which is shown at 3, 3 in Fig. 1; this 50 flange or its equivalent is formed around all four sides of the opening, but at the top and bottom edges, it is preferably formed into a groove or channel as shown at 4-4 in Fig. 5.

Said flanges and grooves are adapted to facili- 55,478,136 the attachment of the plate 2. When said grooves are employed, the longitudinal edges of one end of said plate are entered into said grooves at oneend of the case, and that plate is slid into the position in which it forms a complete closure for the face of the case, and for the display of 5" the informative matter which it contains.

For the purpose of securing said plate in said closing position, two binding members 6-6Fig. 7-are employed which are shown as being identical in form, size, and construction; these binders are here shown as consisting of an elongated runner 6 which coincides, in length, with the length of the face'frame of the case, and two shorter leg members 'l-'l, the combined length of which is equal to the: length or height of the face, all of which are of U-shaped cross-section; each of said leg-members carries at its extremity a rigidly-aflixed securing lug 8, and when. said binding members are in their, respective operative positions as shown in Fig. 2, a bolt, screw, or like element 9 is passed through said lugs 8 to draw them together and thus to cause said binding members to maintain the assemblageof the elements which close thefront of the case.

Owing to the perforations in plate 2, prevention of moisture and dust fromentering therethrough is attained by the use of a cover sheet Iii-Fig. 1-which may be any of the transparent; waterproof materials. which are readily obtainable, such as Viscoloid, Bakelite, or mica.

In Fig. 1, weshow both an outer transparent covering l0 and an inner transparent covering ll, for said plate 2, which in addition to'the function previously mentioned, insures a tight joint within the groove of the binding member, 6--'l.

l The illuminating equipment of this organization comprises the following elements and details of case-structure: For illumination, an elec-' tric light, I2, is employed, which is of oblong, tubular shape, of uniform diameter throughout its length; it extends the full length of the casing being held in position by screw threaded electrodes 22, 23, Fig. 1; the filament is of equal, length and is luminous throughout its extent when the current is on; this lamp is a commercial product towhich the trade name Lumiline is applied.

While in Fig. 1 we have shown one lamp, and prefer this selection, two lamps l2, l2 are shown in Fig. 4. Where one lamp is. employed, the electrical current enters at one end through the conductor l6 and the ground wire l1 may be connected to any other portion of the case. When two lamps are employed, theelectrical connecthe electrodes through the casing walls.

tion therewith is made through the intermediate conductor I8, at the terminal clip I9, there being a channel 20 formed at the back of the inner reflecting wall I5 for the passage of said sufficiently to intercept direct rays from the lamp.

which would otherwise fall upon said perforations; in order to further secure an evenly-distributed illumination to said perforations, a re-. fleeting panel, wall or surface I5 is provided at the back of the casing; this reflecting surface may be had by supplying the back wall with a reflecting coating such as commonly used in the,

reflectors of auto-mobile lights, by supplying said I rear wall with a reflector panel, or by lining the whole inner wall of the casing with a polished, reflecting, metallic lining or polished finish; the panel structure has the advantage of economy of material and the production. of the desired results. When this invention is utilized in the production of illuminated license plates, the source of current which supplies the lamp is or may be the same as that which supplies the headlights, and when one lamp is used, as shown in Fig. 1, thefeed wire I6 is connected at one end of the lamp through the electrode 22 carried by the end wall of channel I3; the other wire Il may be grounded through the electrode 23 in any suitable manner. When two lamps are employed as shown in Fig. 4, the supply wire I8 is connected thereto in series, at the adjacent ends, as indicated at I9, andin this case the'feed wire I8 is passed through a channel 20 in the back of the case and connected to the clip I9.

In the single lamp assemblage, shown in Figure 1, the electrode 22 is carried by-the end wall 25 of the channel I3, and this wall is formed as. a, detachable closure made of suitable insulating, material and having a threaded attachment over the channel end. At the other end of the channel, the electrode 23 is carriedby a similar detachable closure 26, but in this instance the closure is of metal so that the electrode is grounded on the casing. In the two lamp arrangement, shown in Figure 4, the electrodes 22' and 23 are threaded through retaining nuts2I and 28, respectively, which cooperate with lock nuts 29 and 30 in maintaining the adjustment of In this embodiment neither electrode 22' or 23' is insulated from the casing, for both are ground side electrodes and the circuit is grounded to the casing. It is pointed out, and will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, that the invention here disclosed m'aybe usedin many ways, such as residence numbers, street names and numbers, advertising matter; and like information-imparting devices.

The case is adapted to be secured into its serv-. ice position by attaching bracket means 2 I.

We claim the following:

1. An organization forming the embodiment of an illuminated license plate for automobiles, or the like, comprising in combination, a casing one "walls and having an elongated electric lamp positioned therein, each one of said end walls being provided with an electrode at least one of which has a screw thread mounting for adjustment in .rigidly engaging an extremity of the said electric lamp to maintain the same in assembled relation in said channel.

2. A casing organization forming the embodiment of an illuminated license plate for automobiles, or the like, comprising in combination,

a casing. one side of which is open and adapted.

to be closed by means of a suitable plate arranged in closure relation thereto, there being informative matter carried by said plate and adapted to be rendered visible by illumination from within said casing, means removably secur ing the plate in said closure relation, the upper.

wall of said casing being extended and formed into a downwardly-opening channel which is; within said casing and: above the upper edge of said opening, said channel being provided with end walls and having an elongated electric lamp positioned in operative assembled relation therein, at least one of said end walls being removable to permit the assembly or replacement of the electric lamp in said channel without dismantling said casing organizatiornand each one of said end walls being provided with an electrode at least one of which is adiustable'for rigidly engaging anextremity of the electric lamp to maintain the same in assembled relation in said chan--;

nel.

3. A casing organization forming the embodi ment of an illuminated license plate for automobiles, or the like, comprising in combination, a casing one side of which is open and adapted to be closed by means of a suitable plate, a plate arranged in closure relation to said opening,

there being informative matter carried by said plate and adapted to be rendered visible by illumination from within said casing, means removably securing said plate in closure relation; to said opening, theupper wall of said'casing being extended and formed into a downwardly opening channel which is within the casingand above the'upper edge of said opening, a conduit provided on the back wall of said casing, said channel being provided with end walls and having illuminating means positioned therein comprising a pair of elongated electric lamps arranged in end-to-end relation, said end :walls being provided with electrodes having screw thread mountings for adjustment in rigidly engaging the outer extremities of said lamps to maintain the same infassembled relation in said channel of the casing, said lamps being supplied: current through a feed wire passing through said conduit on the back wall of said casing and electrically connected to the inner ends ofsaid lamps. 1

4. A- casing organization forming the embodi ment of an illuminated license plate for automobiles, or the like, comprising incombination,

a casing one side of which is open and adapted f5- to be closed by means of a suitable plate, a plate arranged in closure relation to said opening, there being informative matter carried by said plate and adapted to berendered visible by illumination from within said casing, means removably securing said plate in closure relation to said opening, the upper wall of said casing being extended and formed into a downwardly-opening channel which is within the casing and. above the upper edge of said opening, a conduit provided on the back wall of said casing leading to a pair of conductors provided in said channel, said channel being provided with end walls and having illuminating means positioned therein com prising a pair of elongated electric lamps arranged in end-to-end relationand having their inner ends in connected engagement with said conductors in the channel, said endwallsbeing provided with adjustable electrodes rigidly engaging the outer extremities of saidlamps to maintain the same in assembled relation in said channel of the casing, said lamps being supplied current by a feed wire passing through said conduit on the back wall of said casing and electrically connected to said conductors.

5. An organization forming the embodiment of an illuminated license plate for automobiles or the like, comprising in combination a casing one side of which is open, a removable plate closing least one of said electrodes being threaded through theassociated end wall of the casing for adjustment.

ALBERT I-I. HOOVER. HERBERT D. CLARK. 

